If you don’t have coolant rated for that temperature, fill the tank and leave it running all night. Make sure you have winterized diesel fuel.
#1 Look for indoor parking - a local gas station maybe or a warehouse.
#2 Keep it out of the wind- Drive onto a big tarp and pull it up over the front of the car. Let it hang down on the sides. You can even tie up the lower part against the vehicle body.
#3 Use 100 watt lamps. One for the battery side of the engine and one for the oil pan.
#4 Leave the transmission in Neutral and the emergency brake off. Chock your wheels.
When it starts, keep the RPM below 1000 for five minutes. Wait 10 minutes before moving the car. Cover your radiator with cardboard while driving during the day if the temp stays below -20.
Make sure there is warm clothing for everyone in the car when driving. Keep food and fluids (and TP) in case you break down. This is the kind of weather than kills quickly so think ahead. Good Luck
Where will I be? central Quebec,a couple of hundred miles north of Montreal.What kind of truck am I driving? It's not a truck,it's an Audi A3 TDI (diesel).Do I have access to power to plug anything in? Nope! Should I keep it running all night? Maybe,but if forced to choose I'd rather not start than have to explain my theft claim to the insurance company...or to the police (in French).
I'll just give it a shot I guess...and if you don't hear from me again you'll know that I went to that big hockey rink in the sky!
Good suggestions, especially bringing battery inside. Any battery over 5 years old is suspect in average cold, but -40 will KO even a strong, new one.
I lived on Quebec border for several years. Key was to tuck nose of car up against a building to keep it out of the wind. If no structure is handy, orient back end of car into the wind when parking. Ideally, park on leeward side of a building to shelter from the wind. Look for a parking garage if in a city. Trouble lights work well, as many suggested. As another person noted, shifting was harder than starting the car. I had a manual trans Toyota that always started but was a bear to shift until it was warmed up.
Make sure you have boots/blankets/protective clothing for you and your passengers. Getting stranded due to an accident or breakdown can subject you to life-threatening weather. -40 is lethally cold and I worry more about human life than getting the car started. People not from the north often underestimate the danger of cold to themselves.
Leave it running, when you can, install a block heater. We always plug our diesels in here in Alberta. If it’s frozen solid, you may have to wait until temps warm up a bit.
If you let it run, be sure to let it open up on the highway or something tomorrow, as in really open it up, it will clear it up so to speak.
You may be able to pick up a magnetic block heater (sticks to the oil pan) at a tractor supply or auto parts place. Worth a shot at least. Good luck - hope you don’t have to wait till spring... :-)
Where the heck are you that it is -40F??? I’m looking at the national weather maps for the next 2 days and I don’t see temps anywhere that are that low. Maybe you confused the wind chill with the actual temp.